Stray dogs maul black buck, 6 blue bulls within week at Abohar open sanctuary

Asia’s first open wildlife sanctuary, encompassing 17 villages of the Bishnoi community, is spread over an area of 46,513 acre

A black buck and a blue bull were mauled to death by a a pack of stray dogs at the open wildlife sanctaury in Abohar, Fazilka district. In other cases at the sanctuary, five blue bulls were preyed upon by stray dogs in the last week at the sanctuary which is the biggest such open facility in Asia. The infuriated Bishnoi community has planned to hold a protest on Monday.

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“Last night in a field, stray dogs mauled a black buck in Raipura village that falls within the sanctuary. He informed wildlife officials but by the time they arrived at the scene, the black buck had died,” said Mangiram, of Raipura.

“The remains of the buck were later taken into possession by wildlife officials who buried it after a postmortem,” he added.

In Patrewala, another village within the sanctuary, a blue bull was mutilated by stray dogs.

“Repeated demands to handle the nuisance of stray dogs and installation of ‘cobra fencing’ around the wildlife sanctuary have been ignored,” accused RD Bishnoi, president, Akhil Bharatiya Jeev Raksha Samiti.

“The killing of six blue bulls and a black buck within a week is a serious issue. We plan to sit in protest in Abohar on Monday,” he said.

When contacted, Poonam Singh, sub-divisional magistrate, Abohar, reiterated concern over the issue. “We have sought a report on these incidents from the wildlife department which will decide our next course of action to ensure safety of wildlife at the open sanctaury,” she said.

Asia’s first open wildlife sanctuary, encompassing 17 villages of the Bishnoi community, is spread over an area of 46,513 acres. Bishnois are known for their great love for wild animals and are proactive facilitators of mutual harmony among humans and wildlife.

Caption: A Black buck which became prey to stray dogs in Abohar on Saturday night.